Persuasive Arguments
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Morgan/Penelope. Third & final story in story arc. Follows "The Illusion of Happiness". Can Morgan convince Penelope that he is the one that she wants and needs? Written for the Fortune Cookie Prompt on Chit Chat on Author's Corner. THREESHOT
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: As you all know by now, we are in full swing on the Profiler's Choice Awards hosted on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner". And we'd like to offer an extra incentive to get those nominations rolling in. For the next five people to complete the nomination ballot in its entirety, I would be happy to write a oneshot of your pairing preference (hetero, slash or femslash, doesn't matter!). We have an abundance of incredible stories and authors to choose from this year and we have already received many wonderful nominations. Just to refresh your memory though, tonnie2001969 and myself (ilovetvalot) have removed ourselves from eligibility in the interest of avoiding all appearances of self-promotion. But, we want to make this an incredible experience for each one of you and give you a well-rounded final voting selection to choose from. So let's all put on our reading caps and pick our favorites! **

**Help us to nominate some of the greatest authors and stories in the fanfic world!**

**Also, don't forget to sign up for our newest challenge at the forum. We're honoring Halloween with our first ever "Candy Land Challenge" and signups run through September 30th! Details are at the forum!**

**As always, guys, Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Persuasive Arguments**

**Chapter One**

_**Fortune Cookie Prompt: A calm sea does not a skilled sailor make.**_

One Month. Thirty days. It should have been simple...an adequate amount of time to convince his one true love that he was the man for her. The apple of her eye. The cheese on her quarter pounder.

It should have been a breeze. She was already in love with him. Convincing her that the love she felt for him was reciprocated should have been the simplest task he'd ever set out to accomplish.

It wasn't. Not be a long shot.

Why? Well, that was simple, Derek Morgan thought heavily as he strode determinedly toward the bright purple door of Penelope Garcia's dimly lit beachside cottage. That woman, who he'd already adored well before he realized that those complicated feelings he had were the very definition of the word 'love', had held him off with the steely determination of the most seasoned armada. Her weak spots had become well fortified defenses, and she'd armed herself with enough doubt and disdain to sink a battleship.

His battleship.

But, tonight...tonight was his chance. He'd survived her obligatory thirty days without the benefit of booze, bars or broads! He'd devoted himself entirely to winning her affections, to showing her that leopards, on rare occasion with a powerful motivator, COULD change their spots.

And he wanted his damned prize!

HER!

Tightening his arm around the take-out bags in his right arm, Morgan inhaled deeply as he marched toward the painted door. Eye on the prize, Derek, he coached himself, reminding himself with every step that if he didn't know anything else in this crazy world, he knew that Penelope Garcia DID love him.

Sure, she might be a little resistant...a little hesitant to the idea of placing her faith in him. Wait, that was wrong, he corrected himself. Baby Girl had always had faith in him, even when he didn't have very much in himself. No, a more apt description would be that she was hesitant to hope...to believe...that he could be entirely faithful and devoted to her. Yeah, that was better.

But, he knew her worries were for naught. She had him. Hook, line and sinker, she had him. She just didn't realize it. That would change. Soon, if he had his way...like in the imminent future.

Because he couldn't wait anymore.

Thirty days had been sheer torture. And hell, the last forty-eight hours, she'd simply disappeared, sending his mind into a tailspin as she'd chosen to seclude herself at her hideaway. Lucky for him, he knew all her hiding spots. And he also knew that she was honest to a fault. She'd told him a month ago to meet her here if he decided that it was her that his heart truly wanted...and here she would be. He knew it. AND he knew what he wanted.

Sure, it might have taken a come-to –Jesus meeting with a certain grizzled guru of love, but he HAD finally arrived at the ultimate destination that had been in front of him all along. She might be able to give Rossi credit for showing him the light, but staying in it...that was all him.

And, surprisingly, it hadn't been hard. Now that he'd recognized who it was he wanted, everyone else paled in comparison. Sure, the chicks still smiled and giggled when he walked into a room. But that thrill he used to achieve...that high when they paid attention...it was gone. Perished beneath the memory of Penelope's sweet smile...her fun loving laugh...her deep blue eyes.

Now, all there was left for him to do was convince a certain stunning beauty of his devotion.

Bare feet slapping against the wooden planks of her tiny sitting area, Penelope Garcia made her fourth circle around the couch. Glancing anxiously at the funky wall clock in the shape of a starfish, she grimaced. "He isn't coming, Penelope," the little devil sitting on her shoulder chided snidely, its crimson heels whacking against her clavicle. "All those hopes and dreams you had...poof! Gone!"

"It's barely half past six," the angel on her opposite shoulder argued, straightening its halo with a flick of its wrist, "Give our boy a chance, Penny!"

"He's playing with your emotions, Garcia. Setting you up for failure," the devil whispered in her ear with a gust of hot air.

"He loves you, Penny. He's proven time and again that he's the best friend you've ever had," the angel huffed, glaring around Penny's nose at the red devil. "Stuff it, Beelzebub!"

"Would you both just shut up!" Pen yelled to her empty living room. Shaking her head, she realized she'd just listened to a whole conversation between the figments in her imagination. And responded. It was official, Derek Morgan had finally driven her to insanity.

And darn it, she was gonna make sure he got the therapist's bills.

How? How had she permitted herself to fall in love with a man that under any other circumstance would have infuriated her? In no other man would that sexy half-smile have the power to paralyze her...or would that slightly cocky strut he walked render her speechless. Just him. Only him.

Only him.

And now, because of David freaking Rossi, she suspected that all her secrets had been revealed. That arrogant know-it-all Italian stallion was soooooo off her Christmas card list.

Turning, Penelope paced back around her coffee table, retracing her steps as she drew in an impatient breath. Torn between praying for Derek Morgan's hasty arrival, cursing herself for steadfastly holding him at bay for the last month, and cursing him for being the mouthwateringly handsome man he was, she had almost reached the end of her proverbial tether.

She loved him. How could she not? He was Derek, after all. And for her, that said it all. For years, if she'd been his port in the storm, he'd been her rock. Her strong, dependable, unmoving rock that she could cling to in the direst situation, knowing he wouldn't let her drown or drift aimlessly away.

Jerking her head up as she heard, "Sign says..Woo, stay away fools, cause love rules at the Love Shack...", Penelope's eyes widened as she realized the doorbell she'd had installed just the day before with her favorite song was now serenading her.

Either that, or she had indeed lost what was left of her feeble mind and was now experiencing auditory hallucinations. But the sound of shuffling outside her door made her lean gratefully toward the former.

And as she hurried toward the door, her heart in her throat, she hoped desperately that her little hideaway would indeed become the Love Shack it was designed to be.

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_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello, all our fanfic friends! Several announcements today, so, hang on tight!**

**First, our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" has a new interview up with the fabulously talented klcm. Please stop by and get to know her and several other of the brilliant authors in CM fanfic. And if anyone has an author that they'd like to see interviewed, please shoot me a private message. I promise that we'll do our best to coax them over to talk to us!**

**Second, there are FIVE days left for the October Challenge, "The Candyland Challenge". In the spirit of Halloween, the rules are simple. Name a candy, a pairing you'd like to see written and the pairing you normally write. You'll be assigned a pairing and a candy by October 1st. You will have until Halloween (October 31, 2010) to post a story with your candy prompt and pairing. It does NOT have to be a Halloween story...it just must contain a reference to the candy. For example, if you were assigned a "Goo Goo Bar" as a candy, you could make that the candy an actual BAR in your story. The more creative, the better. Sign-ups are at the forum or you can shoot us a PM (ilovetvalot OR tonnie2001969) if you're interested.**

**Also, please, please, please don't forget to get your nominations in for the first EVER "Profiler's Choice Awards. Nomination ballots and rules are at the forum. Don't forget, I'm (ilovetvalot) still willing to write a oneshot of your pairing choosing to the next five people to complete a ballot. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your favorite stories and authors the recognition that they deserve on ff. net. Also, please remember, in the interest of just saying "no" to self-promotion, ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are NOT eligible for nomination.**

**So, please, drop by and get a blank ballot and tell the fanfic community who YOUR favorites are! We'd love to have you!**

* * *

**Persuasive Arguments**

**Chapter Two**

"You came," she blurted as she opened the door and her eyes met those familiar chocolaty orbs of his.

Shifting his bag to the other arm, Derek cocked his head. "Still doubting me, Sweetness? I seem to remember telling you more than once this month that I'd be here...that you could count on it. I'd say you were given adequate time to prepare," he said, his smile widening by the second as his eyes raked her beloved face. Her hair was swept back in a hasty ponytail and her face was void of her usual war paint. Strangely, he found himself even more attracted to her like this, the knowledge that she rarely allowed her guard down with anyone weighing on him. He was among a chosen few and he fully comprehended it.

Shrugging, she forced her tone to remain neutral as she said, "It's been a long month."

"Especially when a certain special someone upped and disappeared on me for two days," he chided, wagging a finger underneath her pert nose. "You're lucky that I could break Reid."

"Not like you broke a sweat doing it, I'm sure," Garcia returned evenly, gesturing for him to come inside.

"Still..." Morgan admonished, flashing her a reproving look as he stepped by her. "Next time you decide to blow off work for a couple of days, you tell me. Better yet, you take me with you."

"The whole point was to get AWAY from you, Derek," Garcia snorted, inwardly melting as she caught a whiff of his unique cologne . "Give us both time to think," she stressed, to herself and to him.

"I already know what I think. It hasn't changed at any point during this enforced eternity that you've kept us apart," Derek muttered, handing over the bags of food when she reached for them.

Sniffing appreciatively, Garcia's eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. "You brought me takeout from Verducci's?" she asked with a slight smile.

"I know your weaknesses, Baby Girl," Morgan grinned, wriggling his eyebrows. "And I ain't above exploiting them," he added easily.

"At least you admit to it," Garcia said, laughing lightly as she began pulling tin foil covered aluminum containers out of the paper bag. "Did you remember..."

"The mozzarella stuffed ravioli with the red sauce?" Morgan asked with a chuckle, his love's favorite pasta ingrained in his mind.

"Okay," Garcia sighed, rolling her bright eyes as his warm laugh washed over her. "So, you know my order by heart."

"I ought to. That was the first place I ever took you to eat. You ordered it that first night and haven't changed your order in six years," he reminded her.

"I know what I like," Pen grinned, dipping her finger into the marinara and popping it into her mouth.

"Obviously," Morgan nodded, his chest expanding proudly.

"Not to put a pin in your balloon, Bozo, but I was only referring to food," Garcia asserted, raising a blonde brow as she smirked at him.

"Ouch," Morgan whined, pressing a hand to his heart as he stumbled dramatically backward. "You're trying to kill me here, Mama," he accused, his grin belying his words.

"Somehow, I think you'll find the will to live," Garcia deadpanned. "Otherwise," she said, lifting a fragrant container, steam wafting in the air, "I might have to eat your shrimp alfredo, too."

"Back away, Woman," Morgan mock growled, reaching quickly for his own entree. Reaching for one of the plates she'd placed on the small dining room table, he efficiently fixed his own plate.

"I have beer or soda," Pen offered, turning toward the antiquated fridge.

"Actually," Morgan said, fishing a bottle from the bag, "I brought a nice red, if that meets my lady's approval," he said, presenting the bottle with a flourish.

"Trying to get me intoxicated, Derek," Pen teased, glancing down at the label. "We both know I can drink you under the table if I put my mind to it."

"I do know that," Derek admitted with a rueful smile. "But I want us both to relax tonight."

"You think a good bottle of wine will soothe my frayed nerves, is that it?" Penelope asked indifferently, moving toward the small cabinet at the side of the room.

"No, I'm hoping it soothes mine," Derek corrected, pouring two glasses in the flutes Penelope provided. "I've been a wreck since you left, Baby Girl."

"Oh, puh-lease," Pen snorted, reaching for the glass he handed her. "As you pointed out, D, you already know ALL my hiding places." But as she took a good look at the man taking a slow deep sip from his own glass, she had to acknowledge that he looked tired, deep lines bracketing his mouth and eyes. She really hadn't meant to worry him, but looking at him every day had finally sent her fleeing. The idea of what she might be able to attain had tantalized her into a frenzy until it was either leave or jump his muscled body.

"Doesn't really help to know about those places, Sweetness, when I'm aware that it's ME you're running from," Derek commented evenly, following her with his plate into the living room to sit beside her on the couch.

"I wasn't running," Penelope lied weakly, not even convincing herself.

"Penelope," Derek murmured, her name a warning hanging between them.

"I didn't!" she blustered, dropping her wine glass to the coffee table. "I drove!"

"Semantics," Derek grunted, twisting his pasta on his fork and taking a decisive bite.

They passed the rest of their meal with a minimum of conversation, both concentrating on their food as they built their stamina for a discussion both knew was forthcoming. Finally putting her mostly empty plate on the coffee table and reaching for her glass of wine, Garcia settled back on the couch, covertly studying Derek's face as he polished off the remainder of his dinner.

"I know you're watching me," he remarked, his eyes never leaving the mindless sitcom with the obvious canned laughter playing on the small television in front of them.

"That's your overactive imagination," Garcia replied, guiltily shifting her longing gaze quickly away from his handsome face.

"Sure it is," Morgan returned, his voice smug as he placed his own plate on the coffee table, pushing it away with a flip of his strong wrist. Settling back beside her on the couch, he dropped an arm over the back of the couch. "You 'bout ready to put our cards on the table, Baby Girl?"

"No, thank you," Garcia declared sweetly, draining the last sip from her flute. "The few that I think I might have left, I think are much safer pressed against my chest."

* * *

_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello, all our fanfic friends! Several announcements today, so, hang on tight!**

**First, our forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" has a new interview up with the fabulously talented klcm. Please stop by and get to know her and several other of the brilliant authors in CM fanfic. And if anyone has an author that they'd like to see interviewed, please shoot me a private message. I promise that we'll do our best to coax them over to talk to us!**

**Second, there are THREE days left for the October Challenge, "The Candyland Challenge". In the spirit of Halloween, the rules are simple. Name a candy, a pairing you'd like to see written and the pairing you normally write. You'll be assigned a pairing and a candy by October 1st. You will have until Halloween (October 31, 2010) to post a story with your candy prompt and pairing. It does NOT have to be a Halloween story...it just must contain a reference to the candy. For example, if you were assigned a "Goo Goo Bar" as a candy, you could make that the candy an actual BAR in your story. The more creative, the better. Sign-ups are at the forum or you can shoot us a PM (ilovetvalot OR tonnie2001969) if you're interested.**

**Also, please, please, please don't forget to get your nominations in for the first EVER "Profiler's Choice Awards. Nomination ballots and rules are at the forum. Don't forget, I'm (ilovetvalot) still willing to write a oneshot of your pairing choosing to the next five people to complete a ballot. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your favorite stories and authors the recognition that they deserve on ff. net. Also, please remember, in the interest of just saying "no" to self-promotion, ilovetvalot and tonnie2001969 are NOT eligible for nomination.**

**Also, readers & authors, please come sound off on our newest discussion thread. Tell us how you'd feel about the idea of a fanfic based CM Christmas Gift Fic Exchange. We're eagerly soliciting opinions and ideas!**

**So, please, drop by and get a blank ballot and tell the fanfic community who YOUR favorites are! We'd love to have you!**

* * *

**Persuasive Arguments**

**Chapter 3**

"Baby Girl," Morgan whispered softly, using one finger under her chin to gently redirect her eyes back to him, "It's time. If you don't wanna talk, then just listen."

"Derek," Pen whined, closing her eyes for a bare second, "Why do you want to start the evening with an argument?"

"No arguments, Sweetness. Just a few homegrown truths that you've been steadfastly ignoring for the past thirty days," Derek shook his head, stroking his thumb against her soft skin. "And it's time for it to stop."

"Seriously? That's what you're coming at me with?" Garcia chirped, her eyes widening with incredulity. "You've had your head so far up the hoochies' skirts that I didn't even register on the radar, Derek."

"Every man's entitled to a few stupid mistakes," Derek grumbled. "And if I'd ever realized that this," he said, gesturing between them, "was an option between us, I'd like to think I wouldn't have been so dense."

"Don't count on it," Penelope grumbled underneath her breath, as memories of every proverbial Tiffany, Bambi and Kimberly tormented her. "I watched for years, Derek. YEARS! A guy like you doesn't change in a month. I'm not even sure that a guy like you CAN change."

"I already have changed, Mama," Derek stated defensively, grasping Penelope's hand in his. "Look around us. Think back to the past month...what've I been doing that could possibly make you think that I'm not committed to making you and I the couple we've always been supposed to be?"

"A calm sea does not a skilled sailor make," Penelope muttered, the phrase rolling off her tongue.

Narrowing his eyes, Morgan accused, "You let Rossi take you to Mr. Chow's Wednesday for lunch, didn't you?" Racking his mind, he remembered watching the older man and his lady love getting on an elevator together. Sneaky bastard.

"He was paying and I was hungry," Pen shrugged, forcing her breaths to remain even as she felt his fingers tighten around hers. "Besides, some of those little fortune cookies hold a whole lotta wisdom."

"Maybe. But my ocean has been anything but calm without seeing my lighthouse glowing in the distance these past weeks, Sweetness."

"Hot Stuff," Pen snorted, arching one eyebrow, "there isn't a super duper pooper scooper big enough for the load of crappola you're currently trying to shovel in my direction."

"It isn't crap, Baby Girl," Morgan frowned, wondering if he was ever going to penetrate that stubborn sexy mind of hers. "It's the truth. My truth. And I might not always have been prepared to see it...to accept it...but I am now."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to fall into your arms and profess love eternal, Derek?" Pen asked softly, dropping her gaze to their joined hands. "It would be really easy for me to do that but it isn't going to happen."

"It would be great if you did," Derek sighed, scooting slightly closer, "But, I'm pretty sure that nothing is supposed to be that easy in this wild wondrous thing called love. I really wouldn't know though...I've never been in love before," he confided, his deep voice hushed, almost ashamed of his admission.

Heart melting at his quiet words, Penelope Garcia could read Derek Morgan like her favorite dog-eared book. And she knew he was telling her the truth. His face told her more than words ever could. He was confused and frightened. And, he was in love.

He was in love…with her.

"I don't know what to say," she whispered, squeezing his solid fingers beneath her grip. "I never thought that you and I would ever be sitting here in this place."

Nodding, Derek didn't look at her, simply stared at their connected hands. "That's my fault," he said huskily, swallowing hard. "I know I was blind, Penelope. And I know that it pisses you off that somebody else pointed me toward the light," he murmured, remembering a certain conversation that now seemed ages ago instead of mere weeks. "But, you have to believe me, Sweetness. I have SEEN it. And the person standing in that beautiful light is YOU. You're the one I want...the one I NEED. And the thing that pisses me off at myself the most is that you've been standing there, waiting on me, all along."

"The waiting...I didn't mind that so much," Penelope replied honestly, still trying to conquer her amazement that she was actually having this very conversation. "It was the never knowing if you were ever going to actually SEE me," she shrugged, her honest words seeming to come easily.

"I see you, Penelope. You're the only woman that I CAN see anymore. The only woman that I WANT to see," Morgan stressed, using their joined hands to tug her closer.

"I don't want to lose you, Morgan. I'd rather stay your wing woman indefinitely than try this...together...and lose you entirely. The risk is..."

"Worth it," Morgan supplied eagerly, his eyes wide and sincere. "The risk is totally worth it, Sweetness," he repeated urgently. "You know me better than anyone on earth, Penelope. You know my secrets and my scars. And you love me in spite of them."

"Your secrets and scars make you the man you are, Derek," Penelope stated with quiet devotion. "You wouldn't be you any other way."

"And you're the only woman I've ever known that's been cool with that fact...that's loved me for who I am unconditionally."

What wasn't to love, Penelope asked herself with a mental sigh. Devoted, adoring, solid, dependable. They were all watch words of the man she'd fallen head over heels for. Tilting her head as her eyes sketched his angular face lovingly, Garcia shook her head. "We're a case, aren't we?"

"We are. But I think we can solve it together," Derek noted hopefully, lifting his free hand to cup Penelope's warm cheek. "In fact, I think with some cooperation from you, I can put this case to bed in record time."

"Smooth," Penelope drawled, shaking her head in admiration.

Grinning widely, Morgan murmured, "And hard, Baby Girl. I'm very, very hard. And very deeply, irrevocably in love with my best friend in the universe. I've got the best of both worlds hovering right here underneath my nose. My very best friend and the sexiest woman alive wrapped up in one enticing package."

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" Penelope asked, weakening as she stared into those mesmerizing brown eyes of his.

"Laying it on the line, Sweetness," Morgan corrected gently. "Say yes, Penelope," he urged deeply, cradling the nape of her neck as he guided her lips toward his. "Say you'll give me...us...a chance. I love you and I need you to believe it."

"I never doubted that you loved me, Derek. I just don't know if it's THAT kind of love," Garcia breathed against his lips, sinking closer against him.

Expertly laying siege to her pliant lips, Morgan kissed her with all the longing and frustration of the past month...with all the passion of a man too long deprived of his woman's essence.

His mouth could rob any rational woman of sanity, Penelope thought as his skilled lips molded to hers, searing her mouth with intensely ardent heat.

"C'mon, Baby Girl, take your chance on me," Morgan implored, nibbling her lips gently.

And that's what it all came down to, wasn't it? Taking a chance. Accepting a risk. And drawing back to stare into those penetrating eyes of his, Penelope Garcia knew that there wasn't a man alive she'd rather place her faith in than him.

"You're on, Derek," Garcia acquiesced, leaning forward to frame his chiseled face between her hands. "I only hope you ate your Wheaties this morning. Keeping up with me is going to be a little more of a challenge than you're accustomed to facing," she warned, her lips forming a wicked smile as she pinched his cheek lightly.

And returning her smile as he pulled her voluptuous body into his lap, Derek grinned, more than ready to jump whatever hurdles she wanted. "Ah, Sweetness, you oughta know by now that I love a good battle of wills. Claiming the prize at the end is so much sweeter that way."

"Oh, Handsome," Penelope promised with a devious wriggle of her brows as she shimmied against him. "I've GOT your prize."

And she very definitely did.

_**Finis**_

* * *

_**Author's Note 2 - Also guys, please don't forget that if you'd like to advertise the awards on your own profile pages or stories, there's a short blurb on my (ilovetvalot) and Tonnie's (tonnie2001969) profile page for you to copy and paste if you choose! **_

**_Again, thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story!_**


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